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Grammy Awards 2023: 6 biggest talking points from the nominations

The nominations for the 2023 Grammy Awards have been announced, with a number of artists helping to reveal the nominees.

The first round of voting began on 13 October and ended on 23 October this year. A final round of voting to determine the winners will take place on 14 December.

Among the heavyweights nominated were Taylor Swift and Beyonce, along with British artists including Adele and Harry Styles. It looks like Adele and Beyoncé will once again lock horns as favourites in the major categories.

Announcing the nominees today (15 November) were Olivia Rodrigo, Machine Gun Kelly, John Legend, Luis Fonsi, Smokey Robinson and CBS Mornings anchors Gayle King and Nate Burleson, who will be joined by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

Five new categories have been introduced this year, including Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), Best Alternative Music Performance, and Best Americana Performance, plus a special award to the Best Song for Social Change.

Here were the five biggest talking points from the nominations broadcast:

Beyoncé vs Adele – the rematch

It looks like the 2023 Grammy Awards will be a repeat of 2017 where Beyoncé and Adele did battle in the major categories. This year, the pair are once again nominated in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year categories. Beyoncé has nine nominations to Adele’s seven. Adele won the last showdown in 2017, sweeping up five Grammys to Beyoncé’s two. Who will come out on top this time?

Wet Leg nominated for New Artist

British indie-rock band Wet Leg were among the nominees for Best New Artist, the nominees of which were announced by last year’s winner Olivia Rodrigo. The band, formed of duo Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers spoke to The Independent earlier this year about newfound fame and acclaim. “We’re just trying to stay on top of the wave,” says Chambers. “Because it is going to end, inevitably,” adds Teasdale.

Beyoncé tied Jay-Z as the most nominated artist in Grammy history

Beyoncé has earned nine nominations for the 65th Grammy Awards, bringing her career total to 88. She now ties with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, who previously held the record with 83 nods. He received five additional nominations for the 2023 Grammys, making his new grand total 88 as well.

Machine Gun Kelly’s joke about his ability to read

While announcing the nominees for the 2023 Grammys, Machine Gun Kelly made fun of himself. “My name’s Machine Gun Kelly and I’ll be attempting to read for the first time today,” he joked, before proceeding to successfully read the names.

Harry Styles still doesn’t deserve his nominations (opinion)

The Independent’s music editor Roisin O’Connor still isn’t convinced by Harry Styles after the singer was nominated for a Mercury Prize earlier this year. She wrote at the time: “The problem with Styles is, for the most part, his songs sound like weak imitations of someone better – as if he’s raided the dressing-up box for Laurel Canyon karaoke. He has no discernible ‘sound’ of his own.” She hasn’t changed her mind.

Nicki Minaj criticises Recording Academy for prioritising new artists

Ahead of the announcement of the 2023 Grammy nominees, Nicki Minaj made headlines after she criticised the Recording Academy for prioritising new artists. Her remarks came after her 2022 song “Super Freaky Girl” was moved from the rap category to the pop category.

Read below for the nominations as they happened.

Key Points

Grammy nominations to be announced today!

Tuesday 15 November 2022 12:21 , Roisin O'Connor

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog for the Grammy Awards 2023 nominations.

We’re anticipating there’ll be some stiff competition from some of music’s biggest heavyweights, given that Adele, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Beyonce all released music during the elgibility period.

We also have five new categories being introduced for next year’s awards ceremony, including Songwriter Of The Year (Non-Classical), Best Alternative Music Performance, and Best Americana Performance, plus a Special merit award for Best Song For Social Change.

Who won at the 2022 Grammys?

Tuesday 15 November 2022 12:36 , Roisin O'Connor

Cast your mind back to the 2022 ceremony, which took place in April this year.

Jon Batiste, the most nominated artist of the night with nods in 11 categories, claimed Album of the Year for his record We Are. He beat fierce competition from pop giants including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Kanye West.

Here’s a list of the winner’s in full

The full list of winners at this year’s Grammys

When are the 2023 Grammys?

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:06 , Isobel Lewis

Next year’s Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday 5 February at the Crypto.com Arena in LA.

US viewers will be able to watch live on Paramount+.

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:25 , Isobel Lewis

Following the release of new music from Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift and Harry, we expect that this year’s nominations will be a star-studded affair.

Who do you think will be among the big nominees?

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:40 , Isobel Lewis

Over at the Recording Academy, they’re already preparing for today’s announcements...

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:55 , Isobel Lewis

Rolling Stone have put out their predictions for Album of the Year and we’re pretty convinced.

You can check out The Independent’s five-star review of Rosalía’s Motomami here.

Adele, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé fans are putting in their predictions

Tuesday 15 November 2022 14:30 , Inga Parkel

While predicting who will win Album of the Year may be near impossible with such a stacked list of eligible artists, fans have settled on predicting who they think will receive the most nominations.

Of course, Beyoncé’s fanbase have a strong argument, considering the Renaissance singer is among the most Grammy-awarded singers. She’s won a total of 28 Grammy Awards out of a wapping 79 nominations in her entire career.

You can check out The Independent’s four-star review of Beyoncé’s Renaissance here.

Taylor Swift fans are calling her the Queen of Music

Tuesday 15 November 2022 15:00 , Inga Parkel

Beyoncé may be widely known as Queen Bey, but Taylor Swift fans are quickly putting in their bid for the “Anti-Hero” singer to claim the title of the Queen of Music.

With Swift’s newest album, Midnights, shattering streaming records and topping charts, is that indicative of how she’ll do at this year’s Grammys? Swifties seem to think so.

Read The Independent’s five-star review of Taylor Swift’s Midnights here.

Adele transforms pain into beauty

Tuesday 15 November 2022 15:30 , Inga Parkel

Adele may have taken some time off before the release of her latest album 30, but the “patron saint of heartbreak”, as she’s called by The Independent’s Annabel Nugent, certainly proved she’s still relevant.

And fans are positive the 15-time Grammy-winning artist will win big during today’s nominations.

Check out The Independent’s four-star review of Adele’s 30 here.

BTS fans are reminding us that the K-Pop boy group is still here

Tuesday 15 November 2022 16:00 , Inga Parkel

Although BTS made headlines in October when it was announced that the members were enlisting into the South Korean military, as required by law, the seven-piece boy group still reportedly submitted four songs, from their latest album Proof, for Grammy consideration.

In 2021, BTS made history as the first Korean pop act to earn a Grammy nomination. The following year, they were nominated once again.

Will 2023 be their year to finally win a Grammy? The BTS Army (their fanbase) certainly have their fingers crossed.

Odds are apparently in Adele’s favour for Album of the Year

Tuesday 15 November 2022 16:30 , Inga Parkel

According to Gold Derby, a website that pools award predictions from sites like Variety, IMDb, Associated Press, Rolling Stone and more, this is how the odds for Album of the Year are looking:

1. Adele leads with a 21/2 odds of winning with her album 30.

2. Beyoncé follows with an 11/1 odd with Reinassance.

3. Harry Styles comes next with 13/1 odds for Harry’s House.

4. Kenrick Lamar lands 14/1 odds with Mr Morale and the Big Steppers.

5. Brandi Carlile surprises with 15/1 odds with In These Silent Days.

Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, ABBA, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss make up the rest of the top 10 odds.

Nicki Minaj accused Grammys for prioritising new artists

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:00 , Inga Parkel

Last month, Nicki Minaj criticised the Grammys of prioritising new artists, after her 2022 song “Super Freaky Girl” was moved from the rap category to the pop category.

The 10-time Grammy-nominated rapper shared her frustrations in an Instagram video, saying: “If you can’t tell by now that there is a concerted effort to give newer artists things that they really don’t deserve over people who have been deserving for many years, then you’re not paying attention.”

Read more below:

Nicki Minaj accuses Grammys of prioritising new artists over those who have ‘been deserving for years’

Nicki Minaj (Getty Images)
Nicki Minaj (Getty Images)

The broadcast has begun!

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:06 , Tom Murray

And we’re off! The broadcast, which is being live streamed on YouTube has just kicked off. First up: a live performance from Dan + Shay.

Stay tuned for the announcements...

Cyndi Lauper announces nominees in Pop and Dance/Electronic

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:15 , Tom Murray

ALL the nominees in the Pop and Dance/Electronic categories just got announced at once.

Check out the nominees including Adele, Harry Styles and Beyoncé below.

The rap nominees are in...

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:24 , Tom Murray

Rap nominees this year include heavyweights like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar alongside younger artists including Jack Harlow and TEMS.

Machine Gun Kelly attempts to read for ‘the first time'

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:28 , Tom Murray

Machine Gun Kelly makes a funny before reading out more nominees: “My name’s Machine Gun Kelly and I’ll be attempting to read for the first time today.” Which he does!

There are so many categories

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:35 , Tom Murray

Anyone else feeling like their head is spinning? Presenters are rattling through 91 (yes, 91) nomination categories. Five new categories have been added since the 2022 Grammys because I guess 86 awards weren’t enough for the Recording Academy.

We’ll be posting the highlights here and, rest assured, there’ll be a full rundown of every nomination to come.

Song of the Year nominees announced

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:40 , Tom Murray

The first big-big award category to be announced is Song of the Year. The nominees are:

Gayle - “abcdefu”

Lizzo - “About Damn Time”

Taylor Swift - “All Too Well”

Harry Styles - “As It Was”

Steve Lacy - “Bad Habit”

Beyoncé - “Break My Soul”

Adele - “Easy on Me”

DJ Khaled - “God Did”

Kendrick Lamar - “The Heart Part 5”

Bonnie Rait - “Just Like That”

Olivia Rodrigo reads Best New Artist nominees

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:53 , Tom Murray

Another biggie. Last year’s winner of the category has the honour of reading out this year’s nominees. Olivia Rodrigo announced they are:

Anitta

Omar Apollo

Domi and JD Beck

Muni Long

Samara Joy

Latto

Måneskin

Toby Nwigwe

Molly Tuttle

Wet Leg

Album of the Year announced

Tuesday 15 November 2022 18:02 , Tom Murray

Here’s the one we’ve all been waiting for. Album of the Year nominees are:

Voyage by Abba

30 by Adele

Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny

Renaissance by Beyoncé

Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) by Mary J Blige

In These Silent Days by Brandi Carlile

Music of the Spheres by Coldplay

Mr Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

Special by Lizzo

Harry’s House by Harry Styles

Harry Styles doesn’t deserve his nominations – according to our music editor

Tuesday 15 November 2022 18:13 , Tom Murray

The nominations saw Harry Styles up for a slew of trophies including Song of the Year for “As It Was” and Album of the Year for Harry’s House.

However, our music editor Roisin O’Connor still thinks the former One Direction star is being given more credit than he’s due after being nominated for the Mercury Prize earlier this year.

She wrote for The Independent: “The problem with Styles is, for the most part, his songs sound like weak imitations of someone better – as if he’s raided the dressing-up box for Laurel Canyon karaoke. He has no discernible ‘sound’ of his own...

“The house that Harry built has a lot of style, but little substance.”

Agree?

‘Harry Styles shouldn’t have been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize’

The full list of nominations

Tuesday 15 November 2022 18:43 , Tom Murray

As promised, here is the full list of Grammy nominations across a goliath 91 categories.

Full list of Grammy 2023 nominations